Long-tail guide · mixed fleets
Equipment hours and truck miles — one list
Most 10–50 asset contractors are mixed: a few excavators or loaders, a handful of pickups, a trailer or light tower that never earned its own software category. Buying a truck TMS for the iron and a CMMS for the trucks is how you get two logins and zero daily habit.
Three meter types. One crew.
- HOURS — excavators, loaders, dozers, gensets, anything with an hour meter. PM intervals hang off engine hours, not the calendar alone.
- ODOMETER — F-series, service bodies, vans. Miles in, service history still visible next to the yellow iron.
- Status / check-in — trailers, some attachments, assets without a trustworthy meter. Do not invent a fake hour counter to please the software.
Why mixed fleets abandon dual systems
Operators will open one app at end of shift. They will not open three. Managers will glance at one utilization view. They will not merge two CSVs before the Monday meeting. DirtFleet prices the fleet, not the seat, so putting every driver on the same tool does not punish you for having a crew.
Attachments (buckets, thumbs) ride with the parent machine for billing — a CAT 320 with three buckets is one billable asset, not four. That matches how shops already think.
Daily habit (mixed crew)
- Operator pins their units — iron and truck.
- Log hours or miles (or photo the meter) before leaving the site.
- Flag anything wet, loud, or wrong with a photo.
- Mechanic opens one queue sorted by urgency.
- Manager sees utilization and exceptions without a TMS project.
Related
FAQ
Mixed fleet questions
Can one operator log both a skid steer and a service truck?
Yes. Same login, same list. Meter type is per asset — hours on the skid, miles on the truck.
Do trailers need fake hour meters?
No. Status-only / check-in assets exist so you are not inventing precision. Attachments can ride with a parent unit for billing.
Is this a full TMS or ELD for the trucks?
No. DirtFleet Hours is maintenance documentation. Interstate HOS still needs a certified ELD when required. See /compliance.